By JOHN G. SANDELL
Of The Bulletin Staff
Glassboro — Radio station WGLS yesterday began broadcasting in stereo in new quarters at Glassboro State College, and staff members celebrated the occasion by hosting an open house for college students and faculty.
The 250-watt station, which broadcasts 20 hours a day, seven days a week, is the only radio station in Gloucester County.
Glassboro State students, nearly 100 of them, operate the station, broadcasting news, music and feature programs from 6 A.M. to 2 A.M.
The station is an affiliate of the ABC Radio Network, and uses ABC radio news service for its news broadcasts. No commercials are allowed; instead of using advertising to support its operation, WGLS relies on a yearly $6,000 budget provided by the student government at the college.
But staff members say the programming is geared for a general audience, not just college students. In fact, they are seeking approval for a doubling of power, to 500 watts.
Most of the students involved in the operation do not get college credit for it, station manager Larry DiBona said. “They do it to learn how and because they enjoy it,” he said.
Students must obtain a Federal Communications Commission license before they can broadcast regularly, and at the end of the year, the college gives them a certificate showing that they have had the experience.
DiBona, a senior who hopes to work in radio when he graduates, notes that graduates of Glassboro State who have worked at WGLS now hold jobs in radio stations throughout the state, not only as announcers or disc jockeys, but as program managers, salesmen, and in other areas of broadcast work.
WGLS is at 89 on the FM dial. DiBona said the station hopes that the switch to broadcasting in stereo will help the station expand its audience. The increase in power, if approved by the FCC, will make the station easier to tune in a larger area of Gloucester County, and should also help increase the audience.
Ray Kirchoffer spins a record as Radio Station WGLS at Glassboro State College begins daily broadcasts in stereo.
(Bulletin Photo by Joe Del Palazzo)
